Team of the Year - according to twitter hits

Twitter and soccer have long been perfect allies and now the pair have thrown up an alternative team of the year that makes for fascinating viewing.

Based on the number of mentions footballers picked up on twitter over the course of the Premier League campaign, this is a team that includes as many flop signings as outstanding heroes - with the team offering a snapshot of the season just gone.

This team makes space for Manchester United flop loan signing Radamel Falcao, as well as controversial Liverpool forward Mario Balotelli. Now those two did not make too many dream teams this season!

Arsenal's popularity on social media platforms is confirmed by the presence of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in the final line-up, while the uncertainty over the future of Manchester United keeper David de Gea confirmed he was a regular mention on Twitter.

Joey Barton's presence in the team may be due to his nearly three million followers, with his QPR team-mate Rio Ferdinand also included thanks to his 6.22 million followers who enjoy his regular twitter contributions.

Check out the team below and let us know what you think via our own twitter link @sundayworld.